Posts filed under 'Runway Reviews'
Photo Credit: NY Metro
Key Takeaways: Designer John Bartlett gives us a taste of good ol’ American clothing that is more suitable for the mature professional man who doesn’t want to look like he stepped out of an L.L. Bean catalog. He contrasts aesthetic knits with sleek leather and splashes a reasonable amount of panache where needed. Not necessarily “fashion forward,†but it does keep up with the times (i.e. shoulder hugging long-sleeved henleys).
Color Palette: Rich earth tones are complimented by not-so-loud splashes of oranges, blues and yellows.
Silhouettes: Slim-fit pants that include subtle plaid prints and classic slacks. Sweaters range from flattering V-necks and striped sweaters that adhere to the man’s “Adonis†form and dispel those horrifying rumors of the dreaded horizontal stripe.
Accessories Report: Murses (man purses) are coming into the forefront! Also making an appearance for Fall 2006 are long, chunky nostalgically knitted scarves – just like grandma used to make.
What’s Wearable: Bartlett continues the trend of layering admirably – mostly with his alteration of the “hoodie with blazer†look. He goes a step further and utilizes a college professor tweed blazer and combines it with a street-style hoodie. Sounds a bit old-looking, but it works. The coats included in his collection are definite stand-outs – leathers, warm knits and pea coat-esque outerwear – stylish, yet mature.
What’s Not Wearable: Two words: leather pants. Unless you’re Ricky Martin, don’t go there. We also saw a button-down shirt accessorized by this gun holster looking thing. It was as if an extra from “Young Guns IV†made an appearance on the runway.
February 4th, 2006
Photo Credit: NY Metro
Key Takeaways: The trenchcoat is back but it no longer screams “Inspector Gadget†or “Columbine.†Instead, these men’s and women’s coats with high popped up collars, fur, and quality textures shout “Aviator,†“Military,†and most importantly, “Chic!â€
Color Palette: Heavy emphasis on grey and black, but some mustard yellows, browns, navy blues, and military greens showed their hues.
Silhouettes: Long and cropped coats, A-line skirts, slim trousers, and a few loose chiffon dresses.
Accessories Report: No jewels were in sight, but handbags were prominent. For women, we saw maroon, grey, and black wristlet clutches and jumbo leather satchels. One man carried a weekend black leather satchel resembling a bowling ball bag. Possible trend alert here.
What’s Wearable: Almost everything. Kenneth Cole did a wonderful job of designing real clothing for real people (Did he steal our Omiru concept?!). Especially wearable are sophisticated skirt suits, heavy coats, and loose sweaters.
What’s Not Wearable: I can’t imagine a non-military man sporting the half suede, half leather green and black boots.
February 4th, 2006
Background on Paul Munroe:
A former civil engineering student, Paul Munroe has been showing his
designs on the runways of South African Fashion Week for the past six
years. This show, which featured only menswear, was Munroe’s US debut.
Key Takeaways:
What this collection lacked in cohesiveness it compensated for with
creativity. While we weren’t quite sure how to describe the ensembles
seen at the show (Urban thug? Eighties rockstar? Space cowboy?) we
decided that perhaps the collection’s inability to be labeled is part
of its appeal.
Silhouettes: Baggy jeans, plaid pants and kilts, quilted nylon overalls, vests.
Accessories Report: We
spotted leather piping, medallions and iron-on patches on
everything–from the sides of a pants leg to the back of a vest–as
well as pocket detailing and fabric-and-stainless steel belts.
What’s Wearable:
While many of Munroe’s outlandish ensembles seem fitting for only the
most extreme of alternative lifestyles (example: a sleeveless leather
tank resembling a corset), each individual garment is interesting
enough to worn as a stand-alone piece. We also liked the bomber jackets
and baggy black jeans (our photographer boldly proclaimed: "I would
definitely wear those.")
November 1st, 2005
Background on Waraire Boswell: This
LA-based better menswear collection is one part preppy, one part sporty
and one part dapper, making it a perfect lifestyle collection for men
of all interests.
Photo Credit: Cary Wun
Key Takeaways: The
emphasis was on irregular choices: for instance, zip-up windbreakers
with ties and jeans (casual, dressed-up and sporty all at once), or a
suit paired with a tie of an unusual color.
Color Palette: Hues ran the gamut from peach to periwinkle to purple.
Silhouettes: Suits, blazers with jeans and button-down shirts with jeans and flip-flops.
Photo Credit: Cary Wun
Accessories Report: Aviator sunglasses, flip-flops.
What’s Wearable: The meticulously tailored dress shirts; button-down shirts with contrasting cuff patterns.
At the WB show, we saw some dashing suits (and models):
Photo Credit: Cary Wun
October 19th, 2005
Key Takeaways: For his Emporio Armani collection, Giorgio moved into slightly feminine territory with gauzy scarves and see-through shirts, along with deep-v tunics and wrap shirts. Interesting on the runway, but these items feel more aesthetic than commercial.
Color Palette: Along with beige, white, brown, grey, and black, the collection featured a purple-tinged blue, purple-tinged grey, as well as bits of purple and orange.
Silhouettes: Loosely fitted shapes. Mostly straight-legged pants and shorts, with close-fitting tops. Jackets and blazers added to the slight looseness of fit.
Accessories Report: Skinny ties, gauzy scarves, sunglasses with a thick nose bridge, and dogtag-inspired necklaces. Right on trend, Armani played up the importance of the waist with belts and waistline detailing on pants.
What’s Wearable: Blazers with slightly more cropped sleeves, a nod to geek chic. Utility inspired jackets, drawstring pants, and the on-trend double-breasted jackets.
What’s Not Wearable: See-through shirts, wrap shirts, and unstructured, drapey pants (unless they’re for sleepwear).
September 23rd, 2005
Key Takeaways: Gucci went prep-school chic for Spring 2006. Cardigans, pullovers, and blazers, all far far away from the playboy image created by Tom Ford.
Color Palette: Black, white and cream dominated the collection. Shades of grey, beige, and touches of red accompanied these base neutrals.
Silhouettes: Tailored, fitted silhouettes. Layering played a key role in this collection, with multiple tops being layered over one another. Key items included pullovers, cardigans, double breasted blazers, sport shirts and drapey slacks.
Accessories Report: Attack of the Man Tote. Belts were also big with this collection, a nod to this season’s emphasis on the waistline. Suitcase trunks were reminiscent of old-school travel.
What’s Wearable: Just about everything. The preppy cardigans and pullovers from Fall 05 will still be stylish come spring, albeit in lighter colors.
What’s Not Wearable: The Man Tank Top (unless you’re an Italian gangster). The Man Tote was too feminine for the average male.
September 23rd, 2005
Key Takeaways: The flashy, luxury meets rebel collection could only have come from Dolce & Gabbana. Our take? One part Italian mobster, one part party animal. Key looks included skinny ties, screenprinted tees of vintage ads, and hardware detailing.
Color Palette: Dark, with black and grey dominating. Blue denim, white, crimson, olive, and beige lighten the palette.
Silhouettes: Skinny, fitted suits, hoodies layered under blazers, fitted motorcycle jackets, cardigans, drooping pants, knee-length cutoffs, and boxing shorts.
Accessories Report: Oversized sunglasses, dogtags, bucket hats, and beanies.
What’s Wearable: We like the hoodie-under blazer look, though it’s not new. We also love the cropped motorcycle jackets.
What’s Not Wearable: Floral patterns in a tough-guy look. Also, keep the boxing shorts in the ring.
September 22nd, 2005
Key Takeaways: Utility-inspired clothing fit for a jet-setting dandy. We loved the color combinations: mint green with saffron yellow, olive green with burnt orange, and a yellowed olive paired with salmon.
Color Palette: Neutrals and mainly pastels. Rose, mint, saffron, and burnt orange mixed with black, white, cream, and shades of beige and brown.
Silhouettes: Fitted silhouettes. Closely tailored button-down shirts, snug sweaters, and belted jackets topped straight-legged pants and shorts.
Accessories Report: Caps, scarves, weekender totes, over the shoulder sling bags, and skinny bags. For utility, we like the weekender totes. For style, we Adore the skinny bags.
What’s Wearable: Just about everything. We loved the belted trenchcoats, fitted tops and jackets, as well as the prep-school meets James Bond look.
What’s Not Wearable: Short shorts (but you knew that one already). The only other questionable theme was the patchwork look.
September 22nd, 2005
Key Takeaways: Classic sportswear pieces in mainly solid colors. Patterns added for visual interest included dots, plaids, and stripes.
Color Palette: Red, peach, blue, coral, turquoise and green added eye-catching color to a base of black, white, grey, and beige.
Silhouettes: Mainly fitted shapes and layered looks. Some pieces (like a cardigan) were purposely oversized.
Accessories Report: Knit caps, sport sneakers, and the Man Tote.
What’s Wearable: Most of the collection was comprised of wearable looks. In particular, we liked the ¾ length coats, jackets with slightly shrunken arms, tuxedo shirts, and the pants creased just so.
What’s Not Wearable: Vinyl clothing. It may be functional if it’s raining, but even then, just get an umbrella. Also, the man tote looked awfully feminine.
September 22nd, 2005
Key Takeaways: Dean and Dan Caten gave us their vision of an urban cowboy for their Spring 2006 collection. Mixing high and low elements, the twins adapted classic western wear for a more metropolitan environment.
Color Palette: Besides black and white, the Caten brothers focused on beige, browns, blues, yellows and reds.
Silhouettes: Close-fitting tops and bottoms. Straight legged pants, tailored suit jackets, body-hugging vests.
Accessories Report: Big belt buckles, bandanas, suspenders, skinny ties, shrunken ties, aprons, skinny belts, and the obligatory Cowboy hats.
What’s Wearable: Shrunken jackets, skinny ties and belts, suspenders, straight legged pants, and the combination of high and low elements (e.g. a tuxedo shirt with distressed jeans).
What’s Not Wearable: Tread cautiously with the bandanas and the shrunken ties. And leave the aprons at home. As for oversized belt buckles—if the buckle is larger than your wallet, it’s too big!
September 21st, 2005
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